Dismissal Policy Frequently Asked Questions

Dismissed from the University? Now what? Each year a few students are dismissed from the University for academic reasons. We have prepared this letter to answer some of the questions that students may have at this difficult time. For additional questions, please contact the office of the Dean of the college that dismissed you.

I have just received a letter from my college, telling me that I am dismissed from the University. What does this mean?

Is it possible to appeal the decision?

In most cases, you will be given an opportunity to appeal the dismissal decision in your original letter of dismissal. In some cases where the academic record is extremely poor, or where the student has had a history of academic difficulties, there may be no right of appeal whatsoever. If you are granted a right to appeal, your college will review your appeal. The decision of your college is final. There is no appeal beyond the Dean of your college.

May I apply for admission to another college of the University?

In some special cases a student who has been dropped from one college may be able to continue at the University if he or she is accepted into another college at the University. If you wish to enroll in another college, you may apply at any time. If you are accepted for admission into one of the other colleges, you will be reinstated into the University. If you do wish to apply to another college you should contact the office of the dean of that college immediately. The dean's office will tell you what you need to do.

If I am accepted into another college of Villanova, may I continue to take courses at the University without interruption, and continue to live in my room in the Residence Hall?

If you are immediately accepted into another college at Villanova, you will be able to continue at Villanova without interruption. Normally, to stay at Villanova, you should make application within a few days of receiving the dismissal notice. In that case, you will start to take courses required for a degree in the new college and continue living in the Residence Halls (assuming that you are eligible for University housing).

Suppose I want to reapply to the college that dismissed me?

Unless you have been notified otherwise, you would be eligible to apply for readmission to the college that dismissed you after two semesters away (including the summer). In other words, if you were dismissed at the end of the spring semester, you could apply for readmission for the following spring semester; if you were dismissed at the end of the fall semester, you could apply for readmission for the following fall semester.

Suppose I am already enrolled in courses for the next semester by the time I receive the notice of dismissal?

First, what matters is not when you received the letter but when it was sent to you. If you were dismissed at the end of the fall semester, you may not take spring semester courses. If you are already enrolled in spring semester courses, you will be withdrawn from those courses and your tuition payments will be refunded.

Should I apply to another Villanova college right now, or should I take some time off?

Only you can decide how to answer this question. If the problem that you encountered was that you were in a program that just was not right for you, it may make sense to apply to a different college at Villanova. For example, if you were an Engineering student who did poorly in Engineering courses but did well in non-Engineering courses, you may want to consider transferring to Liberal Arts and Sciences or to Business. If, on the other hand, you are doing poorly in all of your courses, you may want to take some time off to try to figure out what has gone wrong so that you can address it before continuing with your studies, whether at Villanova or elsewhere.

What will my college look for if I apply for readmission?

Generally speaking, the college will want to see that the problems that caused you to be dismissed in the first place have somehow been addressed. You may, for example, wish to take courses at another four-year university. Successful performance in such courses would certainly be considered. Employment during your absence can also be a positive factor. You may also wish to document other ways that you have changed the conditions that led to your original dismissal.

Will there be an indication of my dismissal on my transcript?

What should I do now?

The fact that you were admitted to the University in the first place indicates that you have high academic potential. At the same time, the fact that you did so poorly that you were dismissed indicates that you did not live up to that full potential. The first and most important task for you is to come to some understanding of what problems prevented you from fulfilling your promise. After you have isolated those problems, you need to find creative ways to address those issues so that you can move beyond them. Some students find that after a few semesters away, they come back to excellent academic careers at Villanova. Others transfer to another University altogether and find a better fit there. Still other students find that they need to take a longer period to find themselves. We are confident that you will eventually find your way to a very satisfying educational program and a good subsequent career, but the process may take time. In that context, then, we offer you best wishes for the future.

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Villanova University was founded in 1842 by the Order of St. Augustine. To this day, Villanova’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition is the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University’s six colleges.